1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to business forms with adhesive for mounting on a window, e.g. the window of a vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a multi-part business form having an adhesive attachment system which permits removal of the top parts and mounting of the remaining part.
2. Related Art
In certain applications, it is required, or at least desirable, to attach a business form to the inside of a motor vehicle window while the vehicle is offered for sale, or to temporarily establish that the recently purchased vehicle has been appropriately registered. A commonly used technique is to fix the form to the glass with transparent adhesive tape at the perimeter of the form by overlapping contact with the back side of the form and the inside of the window at the form's edges. This technique is time consuming, cumbersome, and while all four edges of the form can effectively be protected, the typical results can be unattractive and subject to flaws that will become caught in a window lowering mechanism.
An alternate mounting system uses double sided adhesive tape fixed across the front of the form at its top and bottom. The form is mounted to the window by removing the tape's releasable protective liner, positioning the form with the exposed adhesive against the glass, and pressing on the back of the form along the areas of attachment. A variation of this system replaces the pressure sensitive adhesive tape with water activated gum adhesive. Attachment to the window at the front of a multipart form does not address retention at the bottom of the back part of the form on sloped or curved windows, nor does it protect any of the edges from entanglement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,755 to Owens discloses another system known in the prior art. It is comprised of a form and a transparent backing sheet secured to the back of the form by a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive. The backing sheet releasably secures a marginal liner that extends beyond the entire periphery of the form. The form is attached to the window by removing the marginal liner, positioning the form against the glass, and applying pressure to the exposed perimeter adhesive on the backing sheet.
Owens' transparent backing sheet protects the form, but is replete with limitations. The transparent backing sheet covers the entire back of the business form, eliminating the possibility of making any handwritten entries; and it is discarded when removed from the window, requiring an additional sheet that is ultimately wasted. The system is inflexible in that it requires the center portion be cut to the exact dimensions of the business form, necessitating a different version for each size form, and a precise alignment of the form in the center portion. Owens illustrates a hand cutting operation, alluding to automated solutions for fabrication, but ignores the issue of labor intensive assembly of the form to the mounting system. Those versed in the art will easily recognize the extraordinary capital and operating expense involved in kiss cutting the center portion of the cover sheet, removing that cover sheet to be discarded as waste, and then accurately placing the business form in that center portion. All these operations must be completed by a manufacturer to enable the form to be sold to the user in quantity.
Owens further describes a corner thumb-hold portion that is used to assist in the assembly and mounting, and is left in place for removal of the form. The portion is said to be sufficiently small as not to interfere with window operation, but in practical application it is impossible to predict a size or location that will not foul in some window opening mechanisms. A 2.0 mil sheet of polyester is cited as a suitable backing sheet, and while thickness is not typically an issue, even an adequate 1.0 mil stock will produce a pucker at the corners where the backing gathers to accommodate the level change from the back of the form to the surface of the glass. The condition is proportionately aggravated by an increase in form thickness.
Recognizing many of the drawbacks inherent in Owens' system, U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,325 to Ipsen proposes an improved adhesive form assembly. Ipsen discloses a form assembly including a two-sided form, alone or in combination with a liner sheet having a chemical coating applied between the liner sheet and the two-sided form for the purpose of making duplicates (as shown in FIG. 4). An adhesive attachment strip surrounds the two-sided form, and a liner strip is removably attached to the attachment strip to expose one side of the form. The liner strip is removed to expose the adhesive surface of the attachment strip and the form is mounted on a surface by placing the adhesive surface of the attachment strip against the surface. The form is removably attached to the attachment strip by a line of weakness such as a perforation.
Although Ipsen addresses many of Owens' drawbacks, Ipsen's form is also very complicated to assemble, due to its numerous parts.
A simpler window label is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,067 to Langen. Langen's label comprises a window sticker having a sheet of printable material with first and second faces, and opposite first and second edges parallel to the direction in which the form is elongated. Repositionable adhesive strips are disposed on the first face of the printed material adjacent the first and second edges. Covering release strips are applied to the first face of the printable material over the adhesive strips. Tractor feed openings are provided adjacent the edges and outside of the adhesive strips with lines of weakness, such as perforations, being provided at spaced locations along the printed material perpendicular to the direction in which the form is elongated. Although Langen's label is simple to construct, the positioning of the adhesive strip inwardly of the tractor feed opening makes it difficult to accommodate multiple pages.
It is to the solution of these and other problems that the present invention is directed.